Hey!

Hey!

I don't really feel like writing an email to everyone this week. Maybe subconsciously I feel like I say things to everyone and it changes what I would just say to the family. But you can put it on the email website if you want.

Anyways yesterday the lesson for priesthood was chapter 4 in the Joseph Fielding Smith book and I really loved the quote from his wife about the kind of person he was. It got me thinking about how lucky and blessed we are to have the family we do. Too many people don't have a family at all and I think we take our situation for granted sometimes. I know I did before my mission. I thought of the times we would do the sock game haha and how much Mom and Dad love us. Take advantage of the time you have to play with each other. 

Right now I'm trying to develop my teaching skills and my love for everyone. So I've been studying the teaching methods of Christ. I spent a lot of time thinking about and reading the end of Matt 7 where it says that the people were astonished because He taught as one having authority. The word astonished means to be amazed or confounded. They were amazed at His Gospel and also because he taught with power. On page 4 of Preach My Gospel I read about where my authority and power come from as a teacher of the Gospel. Look for what brings power to teaching in the section!

We put on a zone lunch/testimony meeting on Friday and it was very powerful. It is a great unity builder to hear the people I don't know as well get up and share their thoughts about the Gospel. I know this church is true! I love you!

Elder Gallagher

Another Week at the Beach

I do find it pretty funny that I'm right next to the beach and I'm not allowed to go. Anyways,

I had a great week! I went on a few exchanges with some other missionaries in my zone. That's when I spend 24 hours with them and help them with their work. It's fun to go out and work hard in their area and increase their faith that there are people prepared even here in orange county. 

Elder Sarver, Mann and I are getting along great. We're working really well together and are always looking for ways to improve. We have fun and joke around everyday too so things couldn't be better. We've also started to buy and cook more meat. So I'm getting better at marinating and cooking which will come in handy when I don't just want quesadillas anymore haha.

One of the people we found this week is Joel. He came to church with his girlfriend and he liked it. He's from Texas so he and Elder Mann bonded over loving a burger place in Texas called Whataburger. He said we could come and teach that night. So last night we went and shared the message of the restoration and invited him to pray and ask God if it was true. He prayed and paused to listen for an answer. I looked up into the sky and saw the moon and a few stars and just thought how small we are but how important Joel's prayer was. He said he felt peace and wants to prepare for baptism on the 29th.

I wouldn't rather be anywhere else right now. I love being a missionary and being able and called to help others strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ.

Love 

Elder Gallagher

Hey

Hey!

We probably had the worst weather I've been in for 19 months. Three days of rain! It was really nice to have a little change in the weather. It'll be interesting to not be in perfect weather more often. Luckily we were mostly inside. I had a meeting at the mission office on Friday from 10 to 4 so I missed a lot of it.

Friday, we went on exchanges with one of the district leaders in the zone. We walked around in the rain for awhile looking for people to teach. We're pushing really hard to find more people to teach so I wanted to show the missionary I was with that finding here is very possible. I had remembered Elder Loutensock saying that he talked to a woman named Buffy on a road but I couldn't remember the house number. I said a quick prayer and we went to go talk to a man and a woman who were coming out of their house to walk their dog. The woman introduced herself as Buffy and I really wasn't surprised. I know God puts people in each others path for a reason. We were able to have a short conversation on the street and she told us to come back. I got up and shared that little experience in fast and testimony meeting yesterday.  The Lord is hastening His work here in Huntington Beach.

Another guy we talked to on Friday sold elephants out of Thailand. People do some interesting things! He told us that he could get us an elephant for cheaper than a car. I know he was telling the truth because he gave us his business card hahaha. 

Last night we went by Bishop Davis's house unannounced just to see if we could do anything and we walked in on their whole family studying the scriptures. It was pretty amazing to see seven kids sitting still and engaged as they talked about Ezekiel 37. The members here have been such amazing examples to me. I'm really grateful to have grown up the way I have. With examples from my family and the good people around me.

This week we taught eleven lessons to the people we're working with. I think it's the most we've ever taught in one week here. The members here are great! We had at least one with us every time we taught. Buddy is now really good friends with a girl in the ward and that's helping him a lot. He came to church and is doing really well! We teach him again tonight before FHE. Sadly the Smiths didn't come to church. It's so easy to let things get in the way of going to church and doing the simple things that make you happy.

The pictures of Snow Canyon look awesome! It'll be fun to go up there and see that. I emailed my academic adviser last week and I think I am going to graduate with an associates in business then transfer to BYU. Does anyone wiser than me see a better option? It's fun being in a trio! Especially when I came out Elder Sarver. Elder Mann is awesome too. He's a hard worker and is always thinking about how we can work harder and do more. He was baptized at 16 and his story  from what I've heard is really inspiring.

Love you!

Elder Gallagher

Me, Elder Sarver, Elder Mann

Hello!

This week I stayed in the same area but moved where I lived and got two new companions! So that was exciting. It's a town home with one bedroom and a washer/dryer unit which is super nice! I've had a great time with Elder Mann and Elder Sarver this week. We all have known each
other for a while so there was no kind of awkward time of getting to know each other. There have been a lot of laughs and jokes. We've also taught quite a bit as well. We live at the end of the mission which is the Santa Ana river so we ran down the trail next to it this morning. I've started to workout pretty consistently so I'm in good shape when I get home. 

Only Buddy came to church this Sunday but it was still good because he's doing well. He's not getting baptized this Saturday but he is making good progress. We're going to continue to help him as he searches and I know he'll find an answer. 

Anyways! That's all I got this week. Love you!

Elder Gallagher 

Howdy

Hey!

Transfers are tomorrow! So I lucked out and I'll be staying for another six weeks! I really like everything about my area right now. I love the people and the work that has been going on. I am getting two new companions which isn't very normal but sometimes that's what happens. Elder Mann is the other zone leader and I served around him when I trained Elder Komarek. He was trained at the same time by Elder Smith. So we're excited to be comps. He's a convert from Texas and loves bball and he's pretty funny. My other comp is Elder Sarver and we came out together. I think he may be with us because he's struggled a little bit but he really is a great missionary. Also, with transfers they combined the two zones in the stake so now my zone have 27 people in it. It's the biggest zone in the mission so that'll be fun!

 I'll update you on the Smiths. Sadly, they haven't been to church in the past few weeks. Sis Smith has lost most of her desire to learn right now but Bro Smith still wants to be baptized. It has been SO hard to meet with them lately. Please pray that we can. We are also teaching one other family in the Cordata Park ward. The man hadn't been to church in 25+ years but we invited him to and he came! The next week his wife who had never been to the church came and really liked it. She has a baptismal date for the 8th. They did not make it to church though which stinks. Hopefully we'll see them tomorrow. 

In the YSA ward we are teaching Buddy! He is still great and came to all three hours of church yesterday and really loved it. The third hour lesson was on the Plan of Salvation and it was a great discussion. During the lesson he said, "didn't Adam fall that men might be?" Haha already quoting scripture. His baptismal date is for this saturday and we'll see if he feels ready. Yesterday I gave a talk in the YSA ward which I was a little nervous for because friday and Saturday I had a cold that made me a little foggy. I talked about cultivating natural missionary work. I feel like a lot of the time we think missionary work is super awkward but you really just have to be nice and friendly to people. So I shared three things you can do everyday that I know can help. 

1. Pray everyday for missionary opportunities (Matt 7...ask and ye shall receive)

2. Seek to love and serve

3. Talk with everyone

People said they liked my talk so that was nice. Public speaking has not come naturally for me but I am getting better at it

 Elder George has ADEM which is an auto immune disease. He was supposed to fly home on friday but as far as I've heard he hasn't been well enough to fly home yet. The missionary who has been throwing up every day for about four months has finally gone home. He was a hard working missionary! He waited for President to make the call on whether he should stay or go. It is really too bad that the very skilled doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Some Elders just told me that he had a parasite and he'll rest for 2 months then come back out. I don't think I've talked about an different elder in my zone but he is struggling with clinical depression and it is really tough. His mind just doesn't think about things logically. I cant figure out if things are because he's homesick or what exactly makes him so sad. He says he questions his testimony but still works. Luckily he's getting more help from people much more qualified than me. 

Well I hope you all have a great week!

Love

Elder Gallagher

I can't help but remind you how warm it still is here ;)

Hey,

I forgot that last week we (members in CA) fasted for rain. We are in serious need of some rain. That night on Sunday we were out driving around and visiting people and all of a sudden it started to pour! It was so great to have so many people praying and fasting for rain and it raining that very same night. I'm reminded of Alma 5 when Alma, who had seen an angel, attributes his knowledge of gospel truths to much fasting and prayer. I know fasting is powerful and it's real. 

This week we taught a lot! We had about double the amount of lessons that we've taught here ever since I've been here. A lot of that has to do with the volume of people we're teaching. Right now I really love teaching Buddy. He's such a genuine guy and has great questions. He reads and comes to church and I really respect that he is actively searching for the truth. Transfers are next week and I know even if I end up staying that we are moving out of the Monsons. They have been SO good to me and I'll never forget them. I really love them like family. Great people live here. People I will be friends with my whole life. Well...I'm off to play dodgeball but I promise to repent and write more next week. Love you!

Elder Gallagher

Elder Loutensock and I

I'm wearing a sweatshirt cause its cold (68 degrees) ;)

Brrrrr,

This week one of the sick missionaries went home and now I am in a trio again. Sadly we were told that he was diagnosed with some form of cancer and that he started chemo yesterday. Also, Elder George is in the hospital with what they thought was viral meningitis. Now they're thinking it's some sort of brain lesions. I heard his parents came out to see him. The latest news I got sounded pretty positive though. So keep them in your thoughts. It is honestly crazy how many medical things are going on. There are at least two missionaries depressed in the zone and the one that is still throwing up is still working so hard. They're great people.

Things are going pretty well in or area! We are teaching and finding very regularly. We are still teaching the Smiths and they are still looking to be baptized on the 15th but we'll see. Sis Smith hasn't been for three weeks now. Bro and the kids came yesterday. We are teaching an awesome guy in his 20's. His name is Buddy. He meets with us regularly and he asks such great questions. 

One thing real quick before I have to go is something that dawned on me while we were teaching this eccentric girl in the chapel of the church. She didn't have shoes on and I happened to look and think about how dirty and honestly gross they looked. I thought of John 13 where Christ washes His apostles feet. I know He is our perfect example of love and service. I got up yesterday and bore my testimony of the happiness I have felt as I've served others. It doesn't make sense logically but the more I give of myself and think more about others, the happier I am. 

Read your scriptures! Don't forget to pray! I'm still having a great time and I love and miss you! 

Elder Gallagher